Joy-Lance Mickels rises to Champions League prominence

German-Rwandan footballer Joy-Lance Mickels has experienced a significant career rise, recently being named Player of the Match in a Champions League fixture against Slavia Prague. After scoring in that match, the 32-year-old is now set to face Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League with his club, Sabah FK.

Mickels’ journey to the top tier of European football has been unconventional. He previously faced financial difficulties and career uncertainty while playing in lower German leagues for clubs such as Alemannia Aachen, Wacker Nordhausen, and Carl-Zeiss Jena. During periods of injury and club insolvency, he even considered a career change to become a firefighter.